Apparatus for gathering vegetable matter for irrigation-canals.



3. E. WYCKQFF. APPARATUS FOR GATHERIIIG VEGETABLE IVIAI'TER FROM IRRIGATION CANALS. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 8, ISI?.

92g Q2 E Il @E Q Patened I une 11, 1918.

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residing at Los Angeles,- county of Los Anards 11 and 12. et geles, State of California, have invented a To the standards 11 are suitably .secured certain new and useful Apparatus for Gaththe bearings 14 for the shaft 15 which is proering Vegetable Matter from .Irrigation- Vvided at one end with the sprocket wheels Canals; and I do hereby declare the follow- A16 and 17. l ing to be a full, clear, and exact description On the shaft 15 are pivotally mounted the t 'ofv the invention, such as will ena-ble others spaced arms 18" which have on their `upper skilled in the art to which it appertains to sides the bearings 19 which are niounted at make and use the same. the ends of the shaft 15. To the end parts of This invention relates to apparatus forV the arms 18 which extend beyond the 'forgatheringvegetable matter in water; and it ward end of the iioatlO are suitably secured Zit may be said to consist in the provision of the bea-rings 20 for the shaft 21 of the drum thenovel and advantageousfeatures and in 22. The 'latter is provided with spaced rows the novel and improved. construction, arof substant-illy radial teeth or projections rangement, and combination of parts and 23 which are stationarily mounted thereon, devices as will be apparent from the descripand it is provided on its end and ,middle te tion and claim which follow hereinafter. portions withthe sprocket teeth 21 where- Although the apparatus is useful in other by it is operatively connected by the sprocketA relations it is more particularly adapted for chains 25 to the sprocket wheels 26 on the use in clearing irrigation canals and ditches shaft 15. To the sprocket chains 25 are suite of vegetable mat-ter. fIn some localities, as ablyconnected the end parts of the spaced te in California, the irrigation canals and str1ps 27, which latter in passing over the ditches are choked byA rank and matted yegedrum 22 are disposed in the spaces between tation which in dying sinks and decays and adjacent rows of the teeth 23. The sprocket gradually fills the lirrigation canals and chains 25 and strips 27 in passing fromthe ditches. The hand methods ordinarily rechipper part of the drum 22 to the upper part 35 sorted to because of the lack of a practical of the sprocket wheels 26 are supported by apparatus for doing the Work of clearing ant travel on the platform 28 which is the vegetation from the canals and ditches mounted o-n the supports 29 which are suita're slow, tedious, expensive, and generally vably securedto the arms 18. The platform very unsatisfactory. 2 8 is provided with side boards `30, and' it S90 The main "object of this invention is'to has its end portion adjacent'to the upper provide a novel and improved apparatus part of the drum 22 provided with fingers which is arranged on a float and is well 31 which as shown are dispose-d between adadapted from a practical and commercial jacent teeth of a row ofthe teeth 23 so that Viewpoint to workefiiciently in the gatherthe fingers 31 clear thc tcetlr 2% of material a5 ing of vegetable matter in water, the appapicked up and held by the teeth 23 when the ratus in this instance being more part-icudrum 22 is rotated in use. 'la'rly designed for use to clear irrigation c a- Inthe float or 'barge 10 is suitably arnals and ditches of vegetable matter. ranged the motor 32 whosel shaft has there- I Other objects and the advantages of the on the fly wheel or pulley 33 and is operafw@ invention will be apparent to those skilledtively connectible byva suitable clutch Si to inthe art frm a carefulconsideration of -the shaft 35 which latter thereon the thefollowing' description o-f the preferred worm 3G in mesl' with the worm wheel 37 form of theapparatus, taken in connection which is mounted on the shaft 38 which is with the accompanying drawings in which-' mounted in suitable bear1ngs'39. The shaft 1ere Figure 1 is a broken side' elevational View `38is operatively connected to the shaft 15 showing the apparatus; Fig. 2 vis a broken by the sprocket chain 40 which connects the view of the apparatus taken on the line 2 2 sprocket wheel 16 to thesprocket Wheel 111' of Fig. i; and Fig. 3 -is Aa broken' sectional on the shaft 38. v vicw'taken ou the line 3-3 of Fig. 2. At `the end of the platform 28 adjacent to 13;@

UNITED srarns *.rsEPH E. WYoKorr, or Los ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, Assicurare To rr. sonas, TRUSTEE, or Los ANGELES, csmroaua.

APPARATUS FOR GATHERIN G VEGETABLE MTTER FROM IRRIGATION-CANA1S l To all whom may concern:

Be. it known that I, JOSEPH E. WYoKorr, a citlzen of the United States of America,

As shown by the drawings in this instand*l the float or barge 10 has at 1ts forward end Specification of VLetters Patent.

Patented June 11, 119155..

Application filed February 8, 1917. Serial o. M7513.

the standards 11 and it has at its rear end 4the standards 12. A canopy 135 may be suit-l ably fastened to the upper part of the standthe shaft 15 is arranged a suitable ce veyer 42 which is provided with side boat, s.

' the shaft 75 which bears in the upper part 43 to confine the material, and which eX- tends outwardly beyond one side ot the iioat 10 so that the material when it has been moved over the platform 28 is carried by the conveyer 42 and can be deposited on a barge or on the bank of. the canal or ditch. The conveyer 42 is operatively connected to the shaft 35 by the spur wheel 44 which is mounted on the shaft 35 and in mesh with the spur wheel 45 which is mounted on the shaft 46 which latter is mounted on suitable standards 47 and is operatively connected to the conveyer 42.

The drum 22 which is arranged at the outer ends of the pivoted arms 18 can be raised or lowered at will by moving down or up the inner end portions of said arms 18 which can be locked in adjusted position by placing in the openings 48 in the standards 12 the removable stops 49 against which bear the extensions 50 on the arms 18. The inner end portionsl of the arms 18 can be pulled down by the cable 51 which has one end portion suitably connected to the crosspiece 52 on the arms 18 and is coiled around the winding drum 53 and has its other end portion passed through the sheave 54 suitably attached to the lower part of one ofthe standards 12. The winding drum 53 has its shaft 55 mounted or the standards 56 at the rear of the Hoat l0, and said shaft 55 has thereon a sprocket wheel 5i which is connected by the sprocket chain 58 to the sprocket wheel 59 on the shat't 60 which latter is mounted in a suitable bearing (31 and isoperatively eonnectible to the shaft 38 by means'of a suitable clutch 62.

The drum 22 may have a shield plate 63 on one or both of its ends to avoid entanglementwith the material being worked on, and said drum 22 may be provided on one of its arms 18 with a cutter 64 arranged adjacent to the drum to cut the material being worked on so that the material is more easily picked up hy the teeth of the drum 22. As shown in this instance the cutter 64 consists of the bar 65 provided with fixed knives or lingers 66, and a movable bar 67 provided with triangular knives (58 which work between slots in the lingers 66 when the har 67 reciprocated by suitable means. The latter may consist of the link 69 which is pivotally connected to the bar 67 and to the crank arm 70 on the disk 71 which is mount ed on the shaft 72 which latter bears in the upper part of the bar 65 and has a spur wheel 73 in mesh with a spur wheel 74 on of the bar G5 and has a sprocket wheel 76 operatively connected by the sprocket chain 77 to the sprocket wheel 17 on the shaft 15.

A rudder 78 to which is connected the tiller 79 may be suitably mounted on the rear of the float 10, and the latter may be self-propelled by means of the propeller 8O on the shaft 81 which passes through a suitable stuiiing box 82 on the rear of the float 10 and extends into a suitable bearing:r 83 and is provided with a bevel pinion 84 in mesh '."ith a bevel pinion 85 on the shaft 86 which latter is mounted in a suitable bearing 87 and has thereon a loose pulley 88 which is connected by belt 89 to the -ly wheel 33 so that the shaft 86 can be'operatively connected to the motor 32 by operating a suitable clutch 90 which is mounted on the shaft 86.

From the foregoing the construction, operation and advantages of the apparatus will be understood by those skilled in the art. When the apparatus is operated in an irrigation canal or ditch, it will be seen that the drum 22 can be lowered to have the teeth 23 pick up and gather vegetable material-dead or live-and carry the vegetable material to the upper part of the drum 22 where the material falls onto thestrips 27 which move it over the platform 28 to the conveyer 42. lVhile the material is being carried by the strips 27 and the teeth 23 are passinga between the fingers 31 the lat, ter prevent the material from being carried downwardly by the teeth 23 when the latter turn in their downward movement between the strips 27 and thus the teeth 23 are cleared of the material.

The construction which has been particularly illustrated and described admits of minor changes and modifications, wherefore the right is reserved to all such changes and modifications do not depart from the spirit vand scope of the invent-ion which is defined in. the appended claim.

claim: y

Apparatus of the class specified, comprising the combination of a float, a shaft mounted thereon,` a second shaft, spaced arms iv'- otally mounted on the tirst mentioned slaft and having the second shaft mounted 'on a portion thereof extending beyond the float, a drum mounted on the second shaft, spaced rows of teeth stationarily mounted on the drum, sprocket chains operatively connected to the first mentioned shaft, and to said drum, spaced strips connected to the sprocket chains and adapted when passing around the.

drum to be disposed in the spaces between the rows ot teeth on said drum, and a platform having fingers between which the teeth pass substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

ln testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification at Los Angeles, county of Los Angeles, State of California, this 27th day of January A. D. 1917.

JOSEPH. E. VVYCKOFF. 

